Posted
on April 05, 2017

National best-selling author joins FairVote to report on and analyze democracy solutions

David Daley, the former editor-in-chief of Salon and author of a national best-seller on the strategy, technology and politics behind Republican redistricting successes during the 2010 cycle, has joined FairVote as a senior fellow.

In this new position, Daley will continue expand his writing, reporting and speaking on redistricting and democracy issues, while also guiding FairVote’s communication efforts and building a team to expand original journalism efforts and the organization’s social media presence.

“This is a pivotal time to cover redistricting and the democracy agenda, with new legal and political strategies and new awareness that elections in the next three years may define most people’s representation in the 2020’s. With so many people thinking seriously about the state of our democracy, it’s the ideal moment to build awareness around FairVote’s analysis and essential reforms,” said Daley. “Extreme partisan gerrymandering is dangerous for democracy – especially when powered by sophisticated map-making software and all-knowing data sets. FairVote’s nonpartisan reforms hold the solution.”

Daley led Salon’s resurgence as an essential voice on politics and culture, launched the careers of dozens of today’s most vital and diverse voices, and more than quadrupled the site’s readership during his three years as editor in chief. His book, “Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy” (W.W. Norton/Liveright) was hailed by the New York Times, Washington Post, New Yorker, Vox and Vice as one of the most important political books of the year. Daley has spoken about the book on CNN, National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air,” “Here and Now,” “On the Media” and many other broadcasts, and before audiences in 20 states.

Daley’s work has appeared in New York magazine, the Boston Globe and many other publications, including in the Washington Post Outlook section on April 2nd. He has been a digital media fellow at the University of Georgia’s Wilson Center and Grady School of Journalism. He has also lectured at Duke University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, Wesleyan University, Boston College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California, and many other leading universities. He is also a former reporter and editor at the Hartford Courant, the Louisville Courier-Journal and senior editor of Details magazine.

“We’re thrilled to add a journalist of David’s caliber to our team, and a high-profile national voice on gerrymandering and democracy,” said Rob Richie, FairVote’s executive director. “Everyone is thinking right now about ways to make our democracy more functional and representative, and David will be a great help in advancing our ideas into this vital national conversation – and have the space to create his own independent analysis as well.”

FairVote is a longtime proponent of ranked choice voting, as approved by Maine voters for all their major elections in 2018, and as central to the Fair Representation Act proposal to be introduced in Congress later this year. When evaluated by academics and political strategists, the fair representation form of ranked choice voting has been rated as likely to have the single most powerful positive impact on elections, such as at the April 2015 National Democracy Slam at the Washington College of Law and in an August 2015 report based on ratings by 14 leading political scientists and law professors.

To learn more about FairVote’s fair representation plan for Congress, read FairVote’s Monopoly Politics report, which highlights the winner-take-all problem facing U.S. House elections, and explore resources associated with the proposed Fair Representation Act. Highlights of Daley’s writings are available on his FairVote bio page.

For more information, contact Daley at DDaley[at]fairvote.org or manager of communications Austin Plier at aplier[at]fairvote.org